Back to POP April 2015 - 7 Days of Wonderment!

[kaetra]

Port Orleans? Pretty Please?

I've been calling WDW reservations every couple weeks to see if I can get into POFQ. I would "settle" for POR as well. Checking yesterday POR is available but it would add $700 to our 6 night stay. Too much for me as our current price for 6 nights at POP (with 7 day base park tickets) is only $1,683. I can't swallow a 40% increase, so I'm going to keep checking, up to the day before even. You never know when the next deal is coming out!

Our last trip was booked for POP and the day before our check in date I switched to POFQ for a couple hundred bucks extra. It was well worth it and I would love to take my husband to POFQ. Our very first trip was at POR and we loved it there too. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get some luck. I think anything in the $400 extra range or less I'll take. A 25% increase would be OK with me for Port Orleans. I'm not getting my hopes up too high though. Since our last trip they started blacking out all of Port Orleans from special deals because the place is so dang popular.

 

[KathyM2]

Port Orleans does look really nice...and I love the idea of taking a boat to DTD...right? But I'm sure it will be awesome wherever you end up staying!

 

[kaetra]

Mickey Mail Today! - Memory Maker Brochure

Arriving in my mailbox today I received the Memory Maker promotional brochure. "Meet the Garner Family!" is the theme and it shows an example of pictures the family got with Memory Maker on their trip.

The photos I think are a bit misleading as it contains quite a few "candid photos" of the family in random places. The brochure makes it seem like there's photographers everywhere, at the pools even, randomly catching gorgeous shots of your family while you splash about. Maybe this is something that happens at the Deluxe resorts? I guess it could be at the water parks... <EDIT - I found out they do have PhotoPass Photographers at the water parks, so that is where those shots came from>

Also, it doesn't offer any instructions on how to actually use it other than: "Just associate your photos with your My Disney Experience account and Memory Maker will give you all your digital photos captured by our team of Disney PhotoPass Photographers." No wonder there are so many people on these boards with questions about how it works. I know how it works and this confuses even me.

 

[kaetra]

Following along! If you ever get brave enough to try offsite, check out Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It's in the "bubble" so you don't feel offsite at all. Super cheap and super gorgeous. Took me 2 trips to get brave enough to do it (I kept pulling the plug at the last minute and switching back to onsite!), and we've since been back twice! It's that good.

I will definitely check out WBC, I've had my eye on it since I heard about it here on the boards. The kitchenette and washer/dryer would be SO nice to have, especially on a longer trip! WBC sounds lovely!

If (or more realistically, when) we plan another another trip I will definitely consider WBC and probably look into costs for renting DVC points to see if we can work out getting a really nice resort.

 

[kaetra]

Magic Band Skins Ordered!

To decorate our Magic Bands, I ordered these skins from MyFantasyBands. I hope they arrive in time! I placed the order right before the 2 week mark and didn't get the priority shipping. (Living on the edge!)

Tinkerbell inspired for me and Cheshire Cat for DD. DD LOVES the text on her band - "I'm not crazy, My reality is just different than yours".
DH is a party pooper and did not want one.


http://www.myfantasybands.com/item_136/NEW-Cheshire.htm


http://www.myfantasybands.com/item_107/Pixie-Dust.htm

 

[KathyM2]

those are so awesome!

 

[bigherofan]

Found your thread today and it's almost trip time for you! Thanks for the link to the Fantasy Bands. They are so cute - let us know how they work. Looking forward to looking through your old trip reports and following your big birthday trip! I did purchase a MM because this is our first trip in 20 years and 1st with DGD9. I also plan to do some of my own magic shots with PS if we don't get the ones I want. Its just a matter for finding or making the .png elements to add in.

 

[kaetra]

Found your thread today and it's almost trip time for you! Thanks for the link to the Fantasy Bands. They are so cute - let us know how they work. Looking forward to looking through your old trip reports and following your big birthday trip! I did purchase a MM because this is our first trip in 20 years and 1st with DGD9. I also plan to do some of my own magic shots with PS if we don't get the ones I want. Its just a matter for finding or making the .png elements to add in.

Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I hope we can remember to do the Magic Shot poses while we're at the parks. I can imagine looks we may get while pretending to be carried away by balloons or holding a baby with no PhotoPass photographer in site, hehe. "What are those crazy people doing?" I want to come up with some other Magic Shot scenarios too, maybe like holding Simba up like in the movie, or dancing with Mary Poppins penguins!

 

[kaetra]

Considering adding a Water Park Day

When discussing our schedule with hubby yesterday, he expressed keen interest in visiting one of the Disney water parks. I'm game! Especially after seeing it's only a $58 entry fee. I wouldn't need to add anything to our package, we could just go one day when the weather is right. I think we could easily do a regular park's Rope Drop, then go to the Water Park for the afternoon, then back to a regular park after dinner for the evening. It would be a big day for sure! I sure hope that works out, it sounds like a blast and I've always wanted to try it too!

Time to start checking out water park pictures and info! I actually managed to find a swimsuit top that I'm pretty happy with too, so that was kind of a miracle. I'm also doing a spray tan before we go. I am the whitest shade of white you've ever seen. My snowy legs could blind a person, so for the first time ever I'm gonna get a spray tan. I'm going to get the lightest color they have and keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't turn me orange lol.

 

[kaetra]

Stop Checking the Weather!

I need to stop looking at the weather sites until at least 1 week from today. Accuweather is reporting hot and rainy all week except one day. AND I just read a post from someone who said they go every year late April or first week of May and they've had mostly rain all day nearly every day. GAH! I don't wanna know that!!

I know "April Showers" and all that, but I just didn't think about it when I picked the dates for our trip. I take some comfort in knowing Disney rain ponchos work really well and rain tends to clear the parks out and shortens the lines.

It will be FINE, I know it will be. I just gotta stop visiting weather sites!

 

[kaetra]

FastPasses Surprisingly Easy to Reschedule

So as the weeks have gone by, I've been re-arranging my FastPasses quite a bit actually. I've been pleasantly surprised that changing times on ones I have is very easy to do and lots of times are available, even for headliners. I haven't touched the Seven Dwarves Mine Train though! I don't want to lose it.

The plan is to take advantage of Rope Drop as much as possible. We're probably leaving the parks for dinner on quite a few of the days, so I think this will work out. Some of the times are a bit tight, but since each FP has an hour plus 5 minute grace period I think it will be fine. We know our way around the parks very well.

Here's what I have as of today:

Saturday, April 18, 2015 - Magic Kingdom (arrival day - at park by Noon)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 1:55 PM - 2:55 PM
Space Mountain 3:05 PM - 4:05 PM
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 4:55 PM - 5:55 PM

Sunday, April 19, 2015 - Epcot
Spaceship Earth 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot 12:20 PM - 1:20 PM
Test Track 1:40 PM - 2:40 PM

Monday, April 20, 2015 - Disney's Animal Kingdom
Kilimanjaro Safaris 10:05 AM - 11:05 AM
Expedition Everest 12:40 PM - 1:40 PM
Festival of the Lion King 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM

Tuesday, April 21, 2015 - Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Splash Mountain 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Wednesday, April 22, 2015 - Epcot
Spaceship Earth 11:50 AM - 12:50 PM
Turtle Talk With Crush 12:55 PM - 1:55 PM (throwaway)
Soarin' 1:55 PM - 2:55 PM

Thursday, April 23, 2015 - Magic Kingdom
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 1:25 PM - 2:25 PM
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 3:10 PM - 4:10 PM
Wishes nighttime spectacular 9:35 PM - 9:55 PM (I want to try this out)

Friday, April 24, 2015 - Disney's Animal Kingdom (Might do MK instead, playing it by ear, must leave by 5pm)
Expedition Everest 9:35 AM - 10:35 AM
Kilimanjaro Safaris 11:25 AM - 12:25 PM
Festival of the Lion King 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM

 

[KathyM2]

Your plans all look great. Disney water parks are awesome...my fave is Typhoon Lagoon. One word of caution though...and maybe it's just that I'm a wuss...but I find waterparks REALLY exhausting! I would be careful about planning too much for that day. I love the idea of hitting another park for RD and getting some rides in...and then the waterpark...but I personally don't think I'd have the energy to go back to another park after the waterpark and park morning....if you have time...maybe a lower key night that night would be in order? But then...you probably have more stamina and I and will be fine lol

 

[sharona]

Hey! Finally have a chance to catch up on my reading!!! I hope you get great weather (especially since our dates overlap )! Counting down now too, we're leaving in 8 days for the Keys then will be in Orlando beginning on 4/23. Sooooo excited. Love your bands and the skins. So cool. Do they sell those skins at the parks? We're offsite at Universal and only going to MK for one day but DD really wants a band so probably going to buy one when we arrive.

Re the water park and full park in the same day - we did something similar on our last trip when DD was 8. We spent the morning at DHS then went to Blizzard Beach for a few hours. We're not into the big slides so mostly did the lazy river and a few times on the family raft ride which was awesome. It was a lot of fun and a great mid day cool off. That night we went back to DHS but really only for F! dinner package. After F! we were beat but we had such a great day I would definitely do it again. We had a car so getting around was not time consuming and the next day was a late start for us so try to plan that big day when you can sort of sleep in the next day.

We have been in late March and in early May and have had mostly fabulous weather. I think our May trip we had 0 rain. For every 10 people who will tell you their April trip was rainy there will be 10 who will tell you their's was not. April is not rainy season in FL. You'll have fun no matter what and you can't do anything about it so don't waste your energy worrying about it.

 

[kaetra]

One word of caution though...and maybe it's just that I'm a wuss...but I find waterparks REALLY exhausting! I would be careful about planning too much for that day.

You're 100% right, I need to put some expectation adjustments on a water park/regular park day! We will definitely have a low key night after. We'll go out for dinner and then maybe just do fireworks and 1 or 2 favorites if wait times are low. Having the rental car should help our feet a bit too, since we won't have to wait in bus lines and can drive directly to the places we want to go.

Hey! Finally have a chance to catch up on my reading!!! I hope you get great weather (especially since our dates overlap )! Counting down now too, we're leaving in 8 days for the Keys then will be in Orlando beginning on 4/23. Sooooo excited. Love your bands and the skins. So cool. Do they sell those skins at the parks? We're offsite at Universal and only going to MK for one day but DD really wants a band so probably going to buy one when we arrive.

Re the water park and full park in the same day - we did something similar on our last trip when DD was 8. We spent the morning at DHS then went to Blizzard Beach for a few hours. We're not into the big slides so mostly did the lazy river and a few times on the family raft ride which was awesome. It was a lot of fun and a great mid day cool off. That night we went back to DHS but really only for F! dinner package. After F! we were beat but we had such a great day I would definitely do it again. We had a car so getting around was not time consuming and the next day was a late start for us so try to plan that big day when you can sort of sleep in the next day.

We have been in late March and in early May and have had mostly fabulous weather. I think our May trip we had 0 rain. For every 10 people who will tell you their April trip was rainy there will be 10 who will tell you their's was not. April is not rainy season in FL. You'll have fun no matter what and you can't do anything about it so don't waste your energy worrying about it.

Almost there right!?!! YAYYY!!! I'm not sure if they sell skins in the parks or not, but they probably don't - I haven't seen any official Disney "skin" products. I'm sure they have something to decorate your bands with though. I would avoid the Magic Bandits that Disney sells that get attached to the band. Lots of people say they pop off very easily, especially with the kiddos.

Thanks for the reassurance about the weather, I'm sure we'll both get a fair share of blue skies! Husband thinks we should try both waterparks in the same day since your one day ticket gets you into both. We'll have to see about that! I don't want to wear myself completely out!

 

[kaetra]

Magic Band Skins Arrived!

I got our skins in the mailbox today, so it only took about 1 week from the time I ordered them. They are really cool, but they were a bit difficult to get attached perfectly straight. I tried a couple times but they're still a bit crooked. Luckily they peel off easily and are easy to re-attach. Here's a picture, I'll try to get a better one tomorrow with some daylight.

 

[KathyM2]

Those are really awesome!!

 

[Landslide305]

I'll be there from the 21st to the 28th. I've been watching the weather, too, and I'm getting nervous about seeing rain showers everyday but at least the temps have dropped from the 90s to the 80s so I guess I would rather have it a little cooler with a scattered shower in the afternoon than hot and humid and sunny.

 

[deedee2177]

Hello! Just came across your PTR! I enjoyed reading through your plans. Our trip is not until November this year and we will be staying at Pop (thought I would love to upgrade to POR, but just not in the budget for this trip).

Your departure day is quickly approaching! I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip!

 

[kaetra]

Those are really awesome!!

Thanks

I'll be there from the 21st to the 28th. I've been watching the weather, too, and I'm getting nervous about seeing rain showers everyday but at least the temps have dropped from the 90s to the 80s so I guess I would rather have it a little cooler with a scattered shower in the afternoon than hot and humid and sunny.

I am happy to see those 80's too. I've been checking WESH.com weather and Accuweather. I really can't stop myself from looking first thing every morning! lol

Hello! Just came across your PTR! I enjoyed reading through your plans. Our trip is not until November this year and we will be staying at Pop (thought I would love to upgrade to POR, but just not in the budget for this trip).

Your departure day is quickly approaching! I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip!

Thanks so much! I'll try to put lots of POP pics in my trip report when we get back

 

[kaetra]

One week to go!!! Super excited!!!